Posts Tagged ‘charters’

Welcome to the 2012 season for Schooner Heron Charters, offering custom daysails on the Chesapeake Bay aboard the beautiful staysail schooner, Heron. $390 for up to six people gets you out on the Chesapeake Bay for 5 hours, and lunch is included. Help to sail the boat, or sit back and relax. Your choice. Sailing out of Solomons Island, Maryland, a quick 50 minute drive from the Beltway, Schooner Heron Charters is easy to get to and a great way to enhance your Southern Maryland getaway.

Herb and Connie brought their friends Steve and Janice Lynn and Wayne and Linda along for a day sail aboard Schooner Heron on this breezy and sunny Saturday. It was blowing pretty well, as we made our way past Solomons Island, out the Pax River and into the Bay.

Me thinks Herb has a bit of the pirate in him. He had that “Show me that horizon,” look in his eyes as Heron took off in the fresh breeze with her full genoa, staysail and main, and he stood the helm for a good part of the day.

As we sailed along, Connie was finding her sea legs and painted a pretty picture against the backdrop of the Bay.

Wayne is an ex-Navy Pilot, and ex-aerobatics instructor… I think he was hoping I’d be able to put Heron through a few barrel rolls or loop-dee-loops. Wasn’t gonna happen.

While Wayne and Linda found a nice spot forward of the pilot house on the starboard side, Steve found his spot on the port side of the boat, and (I have his permission to show this photo!!!) a few minutes of gentle rocking and rolling found him snoozing away… mouth open…

In the cockpit, we were wondering if they make suntan lotion for tongues. When Steve woke, he told us that he was bleaching his teeth, the natural way.

Steve found his way forward to that great spot on the bow. He enjoyed it so much, he was up there for about 20 minutes, regardless of the spray that was coming aboard each time we hit a wave.

After about an hour of charging south down the Bay in a strong SW wind, we turned around and headed back towards the Pax River… the idea being, that we would sail up River, enjoying the strong breeze but making the boat more comfortable in the calm waters of the River. It was still blowing hard, so when we tacked north, I left the staysail wrapped up to make the boat more comfortable for the crew, and we sailed with full genoa and full main. Smaller boats were reefed well down, as the photo above shows. This boat was being well handled with a reefed main, and his genoa rolled in about half way.

Other boats were having a good time running full and by, all sails up and out, burying their rails and holding on to their drinks. That old sailing adage: One hand for the boat, one hand for the beer!

Whenever there are two sailboats, there is a race. As we were making our way to the mouth of the Patuxent, a handsome sloop was coming up behind, trying to catch us. She was running full and by, and I had my staysail furled, so not only was I underpowered, but the hole in the middle of the sail plan — genoa/nothing/mainsail — was stalling the total airflow and power of the sails. But, Heron held her own, and the sloop was unable to catch us. I kept going back and forth, “I should pull out my staysail and blow his doors off,” and “I’ll keep the sail furled, to keep the boat more comfortable for my crew,” and “It’s just my ego at work, wanting to beat the guy,” and “I want the other captain to feel good about himself, creeping up on a larger boat.” In the end, as we got into the calmer waters of the River, I pulled the staysail out because the wind was being somewhat blanketed by the closeness of land. We indeed quickly pulled away from the sloop.

This shot shows the broad expanse of deck that Heron has, allowing her guests to lay about comfortably, in sun or shade, depending on which sails are up and which way we’re going. That sloop is still trying to catch us!

Here, Connie, Wayne, Linda and Steve are way forward, lounging in these great blue cushions. Available in any marine store, they’re so amazingly comfortable. Adjustable to any angle that you like, your weight provides the stability of the cushion, and the backrest gives you the most wonderful support. We have six of these aboard Heron and guests take them all over the boat to find a spot to relax and enjoy the sail. Nothing like a monster windlass to provide a good arm rest.

As we sailed up River, we saw many folks out on their boats, enjoying the day. In this photo, a boat was pulling a giant banana with six kids hanging on. That looked like a lot of fun.

Coming back down the River, as we headed to the dock, we went under the Solomons Bridge for the second time. Beautiful perspective from down below. When I’m driving over this bridge, I’m always looking at the boats down below. When I sail under the bridge, I’m always thinking of the cars up above. “Where are all those people going?”

All in all, another nice day. The SSW wind allowed us to improvise and sail up the Patuxent River, to provide a more comfortable ride for the crew. We lounged around, we ate, we had some lively discussions… What more can you ask for?

June 6th brought Peter and his wife, “birthday girl” Teresa, with their family and friends, down to Solomons Island in Southern Maryland for a charter aboard Schooner Heron, and unlike June 5th, this day we enjoyed strong winds gusting to 25 knots. Peter loved every minute of it. In clandestine emails the week before (hiding the surprise from Teresa), Peter confidently predicted excellent conditions for a sailing day, and sure enough, his predictions were accurate. I think I’m going to start having him buy me lottery tickets!

Now, how’s this for romance? 25 years ago, when they were married, Peter told Teresa that he would take her sailing someday. Well… fast forward, 25 years, and here they were. Yes, they’ve been all over the world together in various adventures, but never sailing. This was a surprise for Teresa, right up until the last moment. The rest of the family knew what was going on, but she was in the dark. “Why are we driving to Solomons?” “Whose house is this?” She walked up to my front door, came into my house, and STILL didn’t know who I was or why she was there. Then she was able to look through my back windows and see the boat docked out back, and Peter told her, “We’re going to go for a sail!” You don’t find this kind of romance and creative expression of caring very often in today’s world, and it was really nice to be a part of it all.

I mean, look at Peter. He’s a big guy, an Administrator at a prison, in charge of the guards… He’s a tough guy. But inside… he’s just a big softy! (Sorry Peter… I didn’t mean to say that! Don’t hurt me!)

Once again, I have to say, I love my job.

Peter’s son Justin and his girlfriend Jessica had just come back from a week at the ocean, so they were all tanned up nicely. The hot sun we had on Sunday during the sail was no problem for them.

Daughter Paige, on the other hand, started out the day very white. We all kept an eye on her and made sure she was well coated with sunscreen all day. By day’s end, she had all these weird pink shapes where different things had gotten in the way of the sun. Well, give that a day or two and it all evens out.

Once again, with a strong, young man aboard, I got some help in getting up the mainsail. Jeez… with Justin’s muscles, we didn’t really even need to use the winch.

When we’re out on the Bay, inevitably we have some beautiful boats passing us. Here’s a shot of a beautiful sloop lifting her skirts (my expression for a boat that is heeling way over) as she goes on past.

Here’s Peter with his daughter Abby. I’ve said it in blog articles before, and I’ll repeat it every single time, getting out on Schooner Heron for a daysail is a great way for families to spend time together. It just is. Maybe I’ll have a charter later in the season that proves me wrong, but so far, every single charter involving families has been a wonderful time for them to be together.

Towards the end of the day, a day which included a bit of seasickness (but we won’t mention who) (or go into any descriptions), we were chased back to the dock by some very ominous looking clouds and thunderstorm cells. We had come in from the Bay to sail in the calmer waters of the Patuxent River, for the benefit of those who were a wee bit under the weather, but we only got as far as the Solomons Bridge before the dark skies had us shooting back to my dock.

And once again, I’ve had to chance to meet some really nice folks whom, without this charter opportunity, I would have never met. I think this is the best part of the whole charter process for me… meeting people like Peter and his family.

June 5th brought a nice group of friends down to the boat, but they didn’t bring any wind with them! It was a sunny day, pretty humid… Sailing on Schooner Heron works better if there’s some good wind. Or any wind at all! Well, there was a little breeze, now and then, and we made some headway out into the Chesapeake Bay, but this wasn’t like a few of the more exciting day sails we’ve had so far this season. I would love to be able to promise perfect conditions, every time, but alas, I don’t have those powers. Still, we did move about a bit, and Sean did a good job at the wheel.

But, that didn’t stop these folks from having a great time and enjoying their time together on the Bay. Look at this photo and tell me if I don’t have a great job!

The flush deck of Heron provides a lot of room for people to spread out and be comfortable. With the sails up, there is usually a sunny side of the deck, and a shaded side, so you get to choose.

The broad flush deck amidships also turns out to be quite a good dance floor, as we found out. Several of these friends belong to a Cuban dance group, and Eric and Christine got up and showed us their moves to some music by Putumayo.

As usual, the food was good and enjoyed by all. Here Diana is handing out some goodies. I’m not sure why that is, but things in general seem to be enjoyed more on a boat. A fresh shower on a boat, for example, seems so much more refreshing than stepping into your shower at home. Why? Don’t know. You even have to conserve water, so you wet down, shut off the water… do your hair, rinse that… then wet down your body and shut off the water… then soap up and quickly rinse… You don’t have the luxury of running hot water over your body for twenty minutes, but for some reason, after you’ve been working the boat all day, sweating in the sun, or swimming in the salt water, a boat shower with warm or cool fresh water at the end of the day really sets you right up. Same with food. Maybe it’s the expectation that “it’s a boat” so you won’t have good food. But, I’ll tell you, I can cook a helluva great meal on my propane stove in the galley, or on a grill hung over the stern pulpit. Add a little good wine, some candlelight… and voila! You have a great meal while sitting at anchor somewhere beautiful, with the sun setting… the birds settling down for the night… and the stars popping out by the time you’ve finished your meal and come up on deck. But, I digress. During our charter daysails, I provide the fixin’s for sandwiches, snacks, and softdrinks, and I contact you before the sailing day to see exactly what your preferences are for coldcuts, breads, etc. So, on board during your sailing day, you get exactly what you most enjoy… and I call that having a good time!

Dr. Kim (PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Management), here with friend Ronaldo, brought this group of friends together for a charter. They dance together, go out together, party together… so why not sail together? They were a great bunch of folks and I appreciate her efforts to make the charter day happen.

It was a hot day, and it was important to stay hydrated. Eric worked hard at that… all day long!

All in all, it was a really nice day. More wind would have been better, but that’s sailing on the Chesapeake. If you want to get someplace fast, go on a powerboat. But when you’re sailing, you sort of take what you get and make something out of it. We took the gentle breezes that were out on the Bay and made a great time of it. I enjoyed meeting everyone who was aboard this day, and I hope to see them all again sometime soon.

Tim Young brought his family and a couple of friends down to Solomons Island for a charter aboard Schooner Heron on a day that provided fairly light air. It was the kind of summertime day that turns white skin pink, so we had to be careful about that.

Tim spend most of his time at the wheel, and we managed to have at least three hours where the boat moved well through the water. Tim is thinking of joining the ranks of “boat owner,” so we enjoyed chatting about different kinds of sailboats, pros and cons…It’s pretty exciting to go out, looking for a boat. There are so many options, so many offerings, when looking at sailboats. More interior space, less interior space, better sailing characteristics, sacrificing sailing characteristics for more creature comforts… Where will you be sailing? Around the world? Around the Chesapeake Bay? Up and down the coast? Down the Islands? There is lots to think about and take into consideration before taking the plunge. And of course, no matter what you buy, you’re always thinking of your next boat! But in my case, I think I’ve settled down with my schooner, Heron. I’ve owned her for about 14 years, and I can’t think of another boat I’d like to have over her. What can I say? I’m committed.

Tim’s wife Zoraida is from Panama, and it was very interesting chatting with her. She’s wicked smart (can you tell that I’ve lived in Maine?), an engineer, and full of surprises. And, she was a bit of a hero during the charter, but it had nothing to do at all with her noticing another boat close ahead of us while one of us (it wasn’t me, it wasn’t Jennifer, it wasn’t Tim, it wasn’t Michelle, and it wasn’t Zoraida…) was at the helm.

Tim’s daughter Jennifer and boyfriend Dan were aboard. Jennifer was also wicked smart, and totally into her career, working towards becoming an occupational therapist. She’s just finishing school, but has been working with challenged children already, for a long time. What a pleasure to see a young person doing such fine work, helping others in such a big way.

Dan, the Man… doing marketing and planning at Lansdowne Resort near Leesburg, VA… He really enjoyed himself on the boat, even though, as I said, we had light airs. When the wind picked up and we started moving along nicely, he really got into it. I asked him, as one point, “Where is the beach?” This was his reply.

Once again, the daysail was a good way for family and friends to spend time together. Daughter Michelle brought her friend Leanne, and the two hung out together for the day, stopping rays. Leanne was VERY white at the start of the day, but she slathered on plenty of sunscreen and went home sporting a mild pinkish color.

And for me, another chance to meet and hang out with some really nice folks. What can I say? I guess the whole concept of a relaxing, personalized, charter aboard a beautiful boat like Schooner Heron really pulls the nice folks out of the woodwork. I’m just enjoying myself meeting interesting and friendly people from all walks of life, all ages, with different backgrounds… and what are we doing? We’re going sailing on the Chesapeake Bay! Whoo Hoo!!!

Once again, a daysail charter on Schooner Heron proved to be a really great way for a family to spend time together. Whatever is going on back at home, all the trials and tribulations of life that we all have… they’re all left behind while we share a sail on the Chesapeake Bay aboard Heron. Don’t get me wrong. “It’s” all waiting for you, when you get back to the dock. But, for those five or so hours that we’re off and running, you’re able to simply luxuriate in the natural world around you, and spend really good time with the people you care most about.

It was a pleasure for me to see Charles Jeffress again. Charlie had booked a seat aboard Heron for last year’s Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. At the last moment, for personal reasons, he had to bail out. But, he said, “I’ll be back,” and true to his word, he booked a charter for his family on May 29th.

It was really nice for me to spend time with his lovely wife, Jean, whom I had met briefly last year. She certainly enjoyed the sail, and enjoyed watching her family spend the day on the water together.

Daughter Ashley and husband Peyton joined in, and I was quick to put Peyton to work, helping to get the main sail up. It’s great to have help running the boat. He was breathing a little hard when I took this photo.

Son Berkeley found it easy to relax with such ideal conditions. That “front seat,” as I call it, is such a great place to hang out. If only it had a little more padding.

And Charlie’s sister Elise joined the group for the sail, right at home on the boat, as she spends half of her time up in Martha’s Vineyard and is no stranger to the world of boating. It was a lot of fun to spend the day with her, as she brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm along for the ride. Every second, she was helping out, running all over the boat. I was able to catch her during a few moments of relaxation for this beauty shot.

We all made it through the wonderful day, nobody fell overboard!, Charlie even got in a good snooze on deck. Another good charter on Schooner Heron.

I was truly humbled by the group of folks who came down to Southern Maryland for a daysail charter aboard Schooner Heron. These lawyers (I had to be really careful with my contracts and liability waivers!!!) work in immigration law half the time, at Just Law International, and do pro bono work the other half of the time, working on behalf of the Jubilee Campaign around the world. Ann and Bonnie and Valeria and Sonya and Jiyoon and Tarik, and others who were not on board that day, are doing tremendous humanitarian work — stopping genocide, rewriting laws to protect children, helping refugees, fighting human trafficking, protecting orphans, building homes, working against AIDS… the list goes on… — and I would recommend that people go to their website, learn about their work, and do what you can to support them.

Now, back to the charter. AGAIN, a whole lot of wind. But warmer than the last charter. This day, light jackets gave way to t-shirts. And there was plenty of sun.

The fixin’s were pretty good. Bonnie did a good job of putting together some snacks. And sandwiches were flying back and forth, faster than we could eat them. Ann hands out some of the plates of cheese and crackers.

We took the time to sail under the Solomons Bridge. Amazing perspective from down below.

If you want to stay out of the sun, or wind, the place to be is under the dodger. Tarik found a nice spot and claimed it for his own.

Valerie had a great time steering, and held the wheel for quite a good part of the day. She steered better than some of my friends who have been sailing for years. Some people pick it up fairly easily, feeling the wind, the water… the way the boat responds… Others don’t reach that level of comfort and harmony. Valerie was definitely in tune with the natural forces that were driving the boat.

Being forward on the boat is one of the most exciting places to be. Everyone does the “Titanic” thing, with arms outstretched. You get a tremendous sense of the boat, from the bow, especially looking aft. Instead of being on the boat, looking out, you’re almost off the boat, looking inward. I call it the best seat in the house.

This turned out to be a perfect day. Perfect conditions. Wonderful and inspiring conversation. Lots of fun. We all went to dinner afterwards in Solomons Island where I was treated to my meal by the group, an unexpected and appreciated treat. Great sailing, great people… What more can you ask?

Rescheduling from a previous weekend, Steve and Lara and friends came down to Solomons Island, in Calvert County, Southern Maryland, for a sailing charter aboard Schooner Heron on a day that started out chilly, stayed chilly, and had more than enough wind to go around. But, they were prepared, with lots of warm layers, ear muffs, gloves, hats… The day turned out to be quite exhilarating. Here, Catalina and Lara are huddling to stay warm.

One of the most important features of a sailboat is the ability to reduce sail as the wind increases. Reducing sail means to put up smaller sails, reef the mainsail (make it smaller, by lowering a bit of it and tying that off), or in the case of furling sails (which roll up on themselves like a windowshade), to roll them in a bit.

Keeping the boat balanced, by adjusting the sail plan so you have the pull of the sails, the “effort” balanced between the front sails and the back sails makes steering the boat much easier. With a schooner rig on Heron, because we have two masts and a wide variety of sails, it is easy to keep the boat balanced and comfortable. Here, Nelson is hanging on, doing a great job at the helm. Nelson has experience racing on small boats, and he has a great feel of the water.

Another point to consider, with sailboats, is that as the wind increases and the boat begins to heel (this is when it gets to be fun!), the wind is spilled over the tops of the sails, so this acts as an automatic way to counteract the effects of sudden strong gusts of wind. Lots of wind, on a properly sailed and balanced boat, means lots of fun. I can’t tell. Was Steve enjoying himself?

And even bundled up, sailing can be quite the romantic affair! Steve and Lara… they’re under all those layers somewhere.

Now, with all the motion and action, did anyone begin to feel queasy? Nothing worth mentioning!!!

And this photo was definitely not staged. There was really something very important out there on the water.

All in all, a great sail on the water with some great folks who loved the raw energy of the day. Another wonderful day for Schooner Heron Charters.

When you make a recreational visit to Southern Maryland, try to get in a schooner sail aboard Heron, our beautiful 60′ staysail schooner. Schooner Heron Charters offers the best deal on the Chesapeake Bay to take a personalized schooner sail out of Solomons Island. $390 for a 5-hour daysail charter for 6 people, including lunch! There isn’t a better offer like this, anywhere. Captain Aram Nersesian will do everything he can to make your personalized sailing charter a wonderful experience and a great day on the Chesapeake Bay.

Compliment your sailing experience with bicycling and kayaking. Patuxent Adventure Center has kayak and bicycle rentals, as well as lessons, tune-ups, and full repairs. Open six days a week, closed Mondays, Patuxent Adventure Center is your center for all your outdoor needs when you come down to Calvert County for a day or weekend getaway.

May 8th, Patuxent Adventure Center will have a Demo Day at the Solomons Beach on the right side of the main drag going into Solomons Island. Current Designs kayaks will be there in force, and Hurricane and Heritage kayaks will be supports through rentals.

Kayaks are available on the water, every day, ready for a test paddle. Just let them know what kind of kayak you’re interested in trying out, and they’ll arrange to have a few for side-by-side demonstration. This is really the best way to find the kind of kayak you’re looking for. A 1/2 day kayak rental is $35, and that fee is taken off the price of the kayak if you purchase one.

And don’t forget… a visit to Southern Maryland and Solomons Island isn’t really complete without some time out on the water, so plan a day sail aboard Schooner Heron and enjoy the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay.

It was a snowy and cold winter… no need to tell anyone that. The cold and wetness put off maintenance and projects on Schooner Heron, so I’m rushing to get things done before our charter season opening on April 16th.

Projects for this spring include re-routing the main engine exhaust hose to prevent hydrolocking. This happened to us about 60 miles offhsore in sporty conditions when we made a quick September, 2009 trip to Block Island. Hydrolocking occurs when water is able to back up through the exhaust hose and enter the engine cylinders, preventing the pistons from moving. You can’t compress water! But the initial symptoms can be confused with other problems. When you turn the key, you hear a clunk, then nothing… so, perhaps a dead battery? Corroded connections? But my good friend and master mariner Karl Westby, aboard for the trip, diagnosed it properly. My 100 hp 2-stroke Detroit was hydrolocked. We were sailors, without an engine. No worries. We had plenty of wind. Anyway, back to the project, the cure is to put a raised loop in the exhaust line to prevent siphoning. Sounds easy, but when you’re working with 4″ rigid exhaust hose, and need to find room for the loop in very tight quarters with an aluminum infrastructure, it can get trying. I completed this job, after a lot of grunting and groaning and lots of cuts to the hands and arms, about two weeks ago.

Maintenance also includes new varnish for the toerails, oil for the teak in the cockpit and on top of the pilothouse… some electrical work, some plumbing… and LOTS of cleaning. We even need to bend on two more sails which have been plumped in a pile in a bedroom for the winter.

We’ll be ready, and our first booked charter is April 18th, the Sunday of the Tiki Bar opening, and the second day of the rockfish season opening weekend. It’s going to be crowded out there on the Bay!